Despite my best efforts over these three-odd years, I can tell I've started to grow up. Not entirely, mind you that would never do but with the slow march of time has come a burgeoning sense of well a sort of maturity. In place of vehement insistence on ill-conceived ideals, I now find myself hesitant to unequivocally support absolutes. Rather than dismiss arguments I disagree with out of hand, I have started trying to see issues from multiple angles. It's weird, for me. And kind of tiring.
But it wasn't always this way indeed, I was actually quite idiotic. One part sincere emotion, one part wanting to have "that image," and one part naivete, I considered myself quite the diehard liberal back in the day. I made such oh-so-bold statements like, "the industrio-military complex and corporate America are the bane of all things pure and innocent in this country." I took mighty swings at "the Man," and made a lot of, in retrospect, pretty empty statements about things I knew nothing about. A shining example of this and the one I wish to write about today is how many like me have tended to view corporate recruiting.
Corporate recruiting has taken a lot of flak from liberally or civic-minded individuals over the years. Andrew Lohse '12, for example, wrote a rather scathing critique of the system here at Dartmouth to much publicity (in case you hadn't heard). The corporate sector, he wrote, "sanitizes intellects, offers almost nothing to human society, and conditions people to act in ways that are decidedly inhuman," ("A Corporate Stranglehold," Aug. 2). Essentially, working for any of these companies and by extension participating in the recruitment process are inherently worthless endeavors. While I can agree that many finance firms do probably contribute a net negative to society widening income gaps, taking advantage of consumers, irresponsibly investing I don't think it is fair or appropriate to make such a blanket statement on corporate culture, the recruitment process or the for-profit world more generally. Let's relax, for a moment, and think about this.
We all (hopefully) want to do something good for the world before dying. We wouldn't mind getting rich, obviously, but the focus of our careers needs to be something with meaning, a positive impact or a larger good. But how do we get there? Most often, I think, we set off into the sunrise armed with our idealism and caring natures and start getting our hands dirty, eschewing those greedy bastards in the for-profit room at recruiting. Which is fine, stick it to 'em. Right on. But before you disregard the idea of the corporate world completely, think about something. Businesses, corporations they're really, really good at what they do. Is there not something, perhaps, we can learn from them?
Take, for example, General Electric's work in the educational sector. Through their foundation, they have spearheaded a nation-wide effort to drastically improve U.S. public education. By connecting national and local business leaders to educators and using creative business strategies, they have successfully devised and implemented a new, more internationally competitive curriculum while forming lasting, effective connections amongst the for-profit and non-profit worlds. As I sat at their kick-off summit this summer, I was amazed at how effectively and intelligently the head of the foundation was able to accomplish these goals all possible, he told me, by using the same methods he used as CEO.
My point is not to tell you whether to do corporate recruiting or avoid it. I'm not sure myself. There are clearly issues with the process and those involved, and I would never support someone working for an institution whose morals or actions they disagreed with. But to vilify an entire group, industry, way of life or what have you, is simply childish. So before you unequivocally dismiss that world, or any world before you dismiss the whole affair with a wave of a self-righteous hand, think. Think about what you want, and how you can reasonably achieve those goals.
It's easy to accept ideas that fit into your general value system or that of your peers. It feels good, and you are reinforced by people you respect. But be wary of black and white statements our world is assuredly gray. If we learn anything during our four years here, it should be to grow up a little. Not to stop being silly or to lose appreciation for the simple things in life, but to see the world as it truly is not how our biases present it.
